Where, oh where, oh where is Susie?

One of my preschoolers brought in some mystery tree fruits. She and her family had been on the campus of the University of Lincoln this weekend for family photos and picked these up.The first fruits were crazy! They were about 3 inches long each. One was like a small pointy green sweet potato and it was attached to a large lumpy green peanut. What they what?

I went to UNL’s east campus website and found that they are pawpaw fruits. I’ve never seen a pawpaw before! We cut them open to see the giant seeds inside. These were not ripe, so we didn’t taste them. Apparently they can taste like a banana/mango combo and are the only tropical fruit that can grow in a temperate climate. (Thank you, NPR.)

It was cool that the seeds were so gigantic inside. The kids had fun trying to get them out – “They’re like teeth!” And yes, they were – you had to wiggle and wiggle them to get them out, and it was totally fun.

I haven’t acquired a taste for pawpaws. I haven’t tasted them again since my first time. The only place I know to get them is an hour and a half away, and they are only available for a short time in the fall.

Osage orange I think. Trees were used to make fence posts once. They say to put them in your house and you won’t have so may bugs. Does it have an odor? Your pawpaw ia called a Missouri banana according to Lloyd.

Attn Lauren (or anyone listening): Because you are a master prototyper, would you have any use for a couple of hundred 5 inch jar openers. If you’re working on something on a table that’s sliding around, putting one underneath fixes it.